I have not spent so much time in the kitchen in my entire lifetime as much I have spent in the last 4 years of raising a child. And believe me, it is much easier to feed an infant who has very less opinion of her own. A toddler on the other hand has recently discovered the power of the word “NO” and has also understood that all things healthy and nutritious are not to be eaten. The struggle starts then and it’s an everyday fight to figure out what to keep in the tiffin and what to prepare for dinner which is healthy and at the same time also nutritious.

Over the time, I have discovered a lot of different Missy approved recipes of soups, salads, sandwiches and vegetables.

I am going to share a couple of them here today.

Mushroom Soup –

This one is a much healthier version of the Cream of Mushroom soup that is available in the restaurants. Mushroom is a good source of protein and fibre. It also contains vitamin B and a powerful antioxidant called Selenium, helping develop the immune system.

Preparation Time – 20 mins

Ingredients

200gms Button Mushrooms

1 medium sized onion – Finely Chopped

2 tbsp wheat flour

4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp butter

1 cup milk

Method

Wash the mushrooms thoroughly under running water and bring them to one boil

Add the boiled and coarsely cut mushrooms to this and sauté for another 4-5 mins till the mushrooms turn light brown

Now add 2 Tbsp of wheat flour and keep stirring till the flour is properly roasted.

Now add water to maintain consistency and keep stirring for another minute

Turn off the flame and let it cool

Once cooled, grind it in a mixer and make a consistent paste

Put this paste in a deep pan back on the flame and add some water, bring it to boil

Now add the milk and keep stirring continuously

Once it comes to a boil, add salt & black pepper to taste

Garnish with coriander leaves and oregano.

And Voila, tasty and healthy mushroom soup is ready.

Tricolour Poori –

How do we get a toddler to eat spinach and beetroot???? Make these yummy tricolour pooris and give it to them with their favourite sides. This has been my favourite dish since childhood and was my mom’s birthday speciality.

Ingredients –

3 cups of wheat flour

¼ cup of Gram flour / besan

½ bunch of Spinach/Palak

½ beetroot

½ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Method –

Boil and puree the spinach and beetroot in separate bowls

Divide the wheat flour in three parts

Knead one part of the flour with the spinach puree and some salt, cover it with a clean cloth and keep aside

Knead the second part of the wheat flour with the beetroot puree and some salt, cover it with a clean cloth and keep aside

Knead the 3rd part of the wheat flour with the besan and some turmeric and a pinch of salt, cover it with a clean cloth and keep aside

Now make long 1-inch thick rolls of each of color flour. Make a braid then just lightly roll them so the dough catches each other. Now make small round balls from this

Roll these balls to make the flatbed pooris and deep fry them

And yummy tricolour pooris are ready to be gulped down!!!

Sweet Wheat Flour Dumplings – Pooda/ Poora –

This dish is a festival speciality and is loved by everyone in the family. It is super simple and super yumm. Oh and the above picture is from the quest of making perfectly round pooda and it turns out looking like a Duck and lil one is super happy!!!

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour – 1 ½ Cup

Sugar – ½ Cup

Cardamom Powder

Grounded Fennel Seeds

Water

Oil to fry

Method

Mix ½ Cup sugar in 1 Cup water and keep it aside for 15 mins

Mix the sugar completely in water ensuring no sugar particles are visible

Take 1 ½ cup of wheat flour in a mixing bowl and add sugar solution to it slowly and whisking continuously to avoid lumps

Whisk for 5 minutes and ensure that the batter fluffy

Add cardamom powder and fennel seeds to the batter and mix well

Heat oil in a deep kadhai

Take small portions of batter and drop them in the hot oil, repeat till there are sufficient poode in the oil

Fry it till it is brick red in colour

Enjoy the yummy poodas!!!

I hope you like these recipes and I will sharing many more recipes soon.

Your name means “God’s Paintbrush” , the one chosen by HIM to paint a beautiful canvas of Love, Optimism and Empathy in this world, and that is exactly what you are, beautiful inside and out. Your smile brings us overwhelming joy. Your sweetness melts our heart. And your beauty lights our world.

I still cannot believe that it is four years already since that uninterrupted and peaceful sleep in the night 😊 You have brought so much love and energy that the sleep seems secondary now.

It feels like yesterday when those 2 pink lines appeared on the stick and there we were, your dad and me, so happy, anxious, scared, all in one. We waited 9 long months and 7 days, yes you took that long and still didn’t show any sign of wanting to come out. I still clearly remember the night before the operation, your daddy and I hardly spoke, we were in a different world all together, finding it hard to contain our excitement and there you were, in daddy’s arms the next day. Mumma, on the other hand was told that a Princess has arrived, but got to see you full 24 hours later and those were the longest 24 hours ever. You were so tiny and delicate and I was scared that I would hurt you, but you held me tight and assured, “Mumma, you are going to be just fine”. That’s who you are since the day one, loving and compassionate. There is magic in your personality.

These past 4 years have just flown by in the blink of an eye and I have seen you grow up so much. All I really want to do is pause time and really soak in all that you are in this moment.

You are all our FIRSTS, you see, just as you are learning, we are too. Girl, this is the first time we’ve been parents, too. We both make mistakes, but we’re in this together, you and us. Figuring it out a moment at a time.

There are a few things I want you to never forget, even at four years old.

We will ALWAYS Love You!!

From the time since you were a peanut sized sonograph until eternity, you will always be our baby. Nothing you have done, or will do, can ever keep us from loving you from the bottom of our heart.

Beauty is what you make of IT, and YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!

Inside and out, you are beautiful. While “Main achchi lag rahi hun naa” is a constant question that you ask these days, beauty is much more than the outer appearance. You have a heart full of compassion and thoughtfulness towards others. Your beautiful big eyes and contagious laughter have a way of lighting up a room. And, that’s the most important thing.

Don’t be afraid of the FIGHTs!!

And yes I don’t mean for you to go and pick up random fights here, but don’t ever shy away from fighting for yourself. Standing up for the right is what I have believed in always and I want you to be aware that you will always have my back. Dream big, little one. Never let anyone tell you you aren’t good enough, smart enough, pretty enough. FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLE!

WE are YOUR PROUD PARENTS!!

You are our little shadow, you help us in the kitchen, you know it from my face that I am tired and you try cheering me up always. You are smart and you work hard, not giving in too easily. The first performance that you gave on the stage, or the 4 superb dances you performed all at the age of 3 in front of those 100 audience, had us all gushing over you. And the excitement only increases with every little accomplishment of yours.

Believe in yourself. Follow your dreams!!

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

Have dreams for yourself and work hard to make those dreams come true. If hard work is not enough, then fight for it.

Be Kind and lend a helping hand!!

Live your life with a purpose and give purpose to your life. Never turn a blind eye to someone in need. For doing good deeds will always give a sense of satisfaction

YOU WILL ALWAYS BE OUR LITTLE GIRL, FLY HIGH!!

Spread your wings, take the world head on and be the strong, independent woman you were born to be but never feel alone in this world. You will always have us, you will always be our baby and you will always have a home to come back to

I’m super excited to be participating in the ‘Dare-a-thon‘organized by ‘The Momsteins’. It is an absolute honour to be one of the participants along with 28 amazing bloggers.

The reason I chose this to be my first ever blog post is because DARE is one word that I relate myself completely to and defines a lot of my current being and the stories can be many, but where did it all start?

The Beginning!!

There is a time in every student’s life when they finally survive through class X and the big question of what next stands in front of them.

I had that time too and being an engineer’s daughter, there was no doubt in my mind, I wanted to be an engineer. (Don’t ask why? Which engineer? Only be an engineer). Engineer during those day meant IIT & only IIT, NITs were a second best choice and the private colleges had started booming and were being looked down upon. So the only way was to start with those IIT coachings

Science- Maths happened, Super esteemed IIT coachings happened and a realisation happened too very soon, I am not made for IIT, I can’t cope up and can’t study.

Dare to Say NO!!

Now the biggest challenge was to speak to my dad about it who at that time was sure that his daughter is a born IITian (not his fault, every father thinks that). Anyways cutting a long story short daddy dear got a shock of his life, I stopped going to those horrid IIT coachings and finally did pass class XII with respectable marks. Obviously, the entrance exams didn’t go that well, but lets not talk about it, its all DONE and DUSTED well in the PAST.

THE BREAKTHROUGH!!

I got through an integrated MBA-Engineering course in NMIMS(Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies), Mumbai. That was the only good thing on hand and getting a MBA in 5 years, YIPPPEEEEE!!!

And here was the DARE, standing right there staring straight at my face, without a blink.

The chubby little over protected girl who had her mom fighting with the bus driver to get her a fixed window bus seat because kids won’t let sit with them as she would occupy more space, had to go to MUMBAI all alone.

A plethora of emotions twirling in, MUMBAI….. the city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, the fashion capital of India and to top that all, the city of BOLLYWOOD (there was a chance to meet SRK). All I knew then was, I was going away from home, and very very far away, in a place completely unknown, amongst the people totally unknown and to top it all, the fear of not being accepted, the fear of body shaming.

The little girl in me was scared to death, but the brave faced teenager was super excited to go to a new city, explore the new ways of living and find a new dimension to herself. (More about my tryst with the MAXIMUM CITY later)

The day arrived and the brave faced teenager looked at Mom, Dad & Bhai and there they were standing tall with an ever comforting smile, if it wasn’t for them, it wouldn’t have been possible to Dare to Break Free and fly away in the vast skies of opportunity and achievements.

This post is a part of Dare-a-thon series hosted by the Super Momsteins.